Stevensburg Va
			December 5th /63

     Dear Father
		Yours of Nov. 22nd
reached me last night and I has
ten to answer it at the present 
moment. I am now much
better than when I last wrote
you. although I have passed through
a short campaign. which was
marked by bad weather and
more deprivations than I have
experienced for a long time
before. My last was written
you from this spot at a time
when all were looking forward
        then
to the ^ coming late movement
which was commenced on
Thursday Nov. 26th and ended


on Thursday. Dec. 3d.. What 
was done and what end at
tained you are already as
well acquainted with as my 
self and I presume much
better as I have seen no papers
and such reports as I get
from those engaged at the front
are of such a conflicting nature
that I scarcely know what
to beleive or what opinion to
form of the Movement.
     That Meade was unable
to procure the necessary sup
plies for his troops. I well
know. and beleive had it
not been for this and the
bad weather he would not
have fallen back across
			          d
the Rapidan to his old groun^

and many think that as 
it was he could have driven
Lee to fall back within
his fortifications in the im-
mediate vicinity of Richmond
Our trains took supplies of
Hd Bread. coffee & Sugar to last
ten days. but only five days ration
of pork which was issued on
the 23rd and expired the 29th 
having the troops the Ensuing
five days without pork and
the country afforded but
little and poor prospects for
foraging and supplying the 
troops by this means..
   Grain was only taken for five
days at ten pounds per day for
each animal and for three
days they were out of feed

     Supplies by way of the R.R.
were stopped and reports say
that every conceivable kind of
boat at Washington and Alexandria
was chartered and some loaded
with supplies for Meade's army
which were to be transported
to the “White House” on the Pen
insula and every one in those
cities thought (as did many here)
that that was our destination.
     But Thursday evening DEC 
3d found nearly every Brig Div
and Corps occupying the same
camps which they left on Thurs
day morning Nov 27th and our
train among the rest occupied
its old position, having traveled
to Ely's Ford and back, about
22 miles in all its journeying